True Repentance? Gawain's Performance of Emotion in Malory's Sankgreal

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This article focuses on Gawain’s emotions in Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur, more specifically in the ‘Tale of the Sankgreal’ and ‘The Death of Arthur’. It will show that Gawain’s performance of emotions is intrinsic to both his religious practice and spiritual growth. To do so, it examines how prepared and able to reach such spiritual growth Gawain might be on this journey. The evidence used is taken from the Grail Quest in Malory and in the Old French Vulgate Cycle, and the link between Gawain potential full repentance and Arthur’s dream at the end of the Morte. I argue that Gawain’s emotionology is a complex one, and more in-depth work is required to better understand his characterisation, as well as his trajectory in Malory, from this point of view.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)19-31
Number of pages14
JournalArthuriana
Volume33
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 10 May 2023
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